Blooded Snares
by 000Marie198
Summary: Raphael finds himself trapped within the underworld, unable to escape and unable to tell anyone about it lest he loses his family. He has to keep it all a secret but that can't be easy when you have an overprotective brother on your case and you come home too late, harbouring new injuries. Things only take a turn for the worst when said brother also gets trapped.


**A/n: Let me just tell you that muses are totally strange and unpredictable. When I published the latest chapter of 'Spectral', I had the idea for this fic in mind and the inspiration too. I wrote the outline of it and then, BOOM, the inspiration was gone, blown away like dust in the wind. Then my muses decided to mess with me and kept giving me ideas for my other stories, going back and forth so many times and between so many fics that I couldn't decide which one to write.**

**Anywho, this is an AU fic in which mutants are a part of society and live on the surface. That aside, I hope you enjoy the story!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or any of the canon characters that might be used later on. All belong to their respective owners.**

%%%%%

**Prologue**

He made his way across the filthy, trash-strewn back alley, dressed in a long, black trench coat and a hat that concealed his face in the shadows. His feet made no sound as he walked past the drying puddles of smelly water reflecting the neon lights of signs around him, the barking of stray dogs and wails of police sirens sounding from a far distance drowning out the usual noise of city traffic.

He turned a corner and arrived at the small, back entrance of a night club, the loud beats of disco music blaring in there reaching all the way to the outside. Subtly giving a nod to the mutant bulldog standing guard at the doorway, the figure went past him and entered the club, the volume of music increasing tenfold as soon as he stepped inside.

People were dancing the night away around him, some humans and some mutants, some chatting and some drinking. Many even smoking and laughing, not caring about the dark circles under their eyes or the ruggedness of their clothes. Besides these people, there were also the brawlers, the street fighters who taunted and laughed and arm wrestled with each other, smashing the bottles of alcohol they held on tables and countertop.

He frowned in disgust at the sight but ignored it and made his way to the back, passing through the overwhelming, flashing disco lights and thick fumes of grey smoke wafting through the air, carrying with it the repulsive stench of nicotine and sweat. He was used to it all though, having been here enough times, and trudged past the crowds of dancing people, to the back where a silver-grey door leading to the basement was located. He opened it and slipped in, the door sliding shut behind him

On the other side of the unguarded metal frame, instead of disco music and intoxicated dancers, there was a crowd of fighters and brawlers, including many gang members, gathered around a gigantic circular cage built in the center of the huge chamber, lower than the rest of the area and shaped like an arena. The people around it were staring down into it with hyped excitement, cheering and shouting and some even betting.

The dark figure in trench coat headed towards that caged arena and manoeuvred his way to the front of the crowd, ignoring the loud yells as the rowdy mobsters threw their fists up in the air while the sounds of the fight going on below were heard.

He narrowed his eyes and pulled his coat tighter, stopping at the edge to gaze down in the ring where a red-masked turtle was punched in the jaw. The turtle fell back hard, panting in pain for a moment before he stubbornly hefted himself up with a snarl and attacked the mutant grizzly bear he'd been fighting, pushing back the exhaustion and pain caused by the numerous injuries that he appeared to have recieved in the brawl.

The shadowy figure watched everything from above, unfazed and emotionless, without even a hint of sympathy showing as the two mutants battled back and forth, before the bear suddenly caught his opponent and twisted the red-masked turtle's arm with such force that a crack sounded and the turtle bellowed out in agony.

With hardened eyes, he watched the match for a bit longer, till he saw the smaller, turtle mutant break out of his opponent's hold and attack with a renewed ferocity, raising shouts of cheers throughout the crowd. At that moment, the figure turned, a sudden flash of blue and leaf-green appearing where his face was hidden beneath the hat, before it was concealed again by the shadows as he walked away, not looking back at the fight.

%%%%%

**A/n: So, how was it? Should I continue? Let me know what you think!**


End file.
